San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle might heal as fast as Marvel Comics' Wolverine.
Kittle has been outstanding for the 49ers during his career, hauling in 595 passes for 8,008 receiving yards and 52 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn Achilles in January during the wild card round of the playoffs.
While some athletes miss up to 12 months due to a torn Achilles, the current plan is for Kittle to be ready for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
"When I had the surgery and [Dr. Neal] ElAttrache told me, he said, 'Hey, I think if you do everything the right way, you have a chance,' it definitely ignites something and makes you push for it," Kittle said, via ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "We're on track. We're ahead of schedule."
Believe it or not, Kittle was spotted doing 30-yard jogs at OTAs earlier this week. He was also seen performing single leg hops on the practice field.
"There's just boxes you have to check before you're cleared to do something else," Kittle continued. "And then once I'm actually allowed to go train the way I want to train, then it'll be just really fun to be able to go back to doing all the football movements I want to do: run blocking, pass pro, running routes, catching the ball. Then, it's just knock some of the rust off because I haven't done a lot since January and just get back out there."
Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle before action against the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images.
49ers hoping for better luck this upcoming season.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, injuries prevented them from reaching their full potential last season. Brandon Aiyuk didn't play a single game due to his lengthy recovery and off-field concerns, Nick Bosa suffered a torn ACL, Ricky Pearsall missed time due to various injuries and Fred Warner was sidelined with a fractured ankle.
The 49ers are hoping the injury bug doesn't strike again this season, that's for sure. As far as reinforcements are concerned, the front office added a pair of veteran wideouts to their offense in Mike Evans and Christian Kirk.
Is this the year the 49ers finally win a Super Bowl under Kyle Shanahan? Only time will tell.
Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved